Hour 3 Ayurveda

Pancha Mahabhuta Siddhanta

hour 03 Online Yoga Life

Introduction
  • Panchamahabhuta refers to the five great elements: Earth (Prithvi), Water (Jala), Fire (Agni), Air (Vayu), and Ether (Akasha) that are considered as building blocks of all matter in the universe, including the human body.
  • These elements form the foundation of Ayurveda, influencing the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of life.
The Five Great Elements
  1. Prithvi (Earth)
    • Characteristics: Stability, solidity, heaviness, structure.
    • Qualities: Cold, dry, heavy, solid.
    • Role in Body: Represents the structure, bones, teeth, muscles, and tissues.
  2. Jala (Water)
    • Characteristics: Fluidity, adaptability, liquidity, cohesion.
    • Qualities: Cold, moist, heavy, slippery.
    • Role in Body: Comprises bodily fluids, blood, and lymph, and is crucial for digestion.
    • Importance: Facilitates communication and emotional balance; essential for life and hydration.
  3. Agni (Fire)
    • Characteristics: Transformation, energy, heat.
    • Qualities: Hot, sharp, light, mobile.
    • Role in Body: Represents digestion and metabolism (Jatharagni).
    • Importance: Vital for transformation and metabolic processes; fuels enthusiasm and passion.
  4. Vayu (Air)
    • Characteristics: Movement, lightness, expansiveness.
    • Qualities: Cool, light, dry, mobile.
    • Role in Body: Governs bodily functions like respiration, circulation, and nerve impulses.
    • Importance: Essential for movement and communication; promotes creativity and adaptability.
  5. Akash (Ether)
    • Characteristics: Space, emptiness, connectivity.
    • Qualities: Light, subtle, expansive.
    • Role in Body: Represents the spaces within the body (e.g., cavities, channels).
    • Importance: Provides the medium for the other elements to exist; essential for consciousness and awareness.
Relationship of Panchamahabhutas with Panchatanmatras
  • The Panchatanmatras refer to the five subtle elements that represent the subtle sensory aspects, while the Panchamahabhoota represent their physical manifestation.
  • Each Panchamahabhoota is the gross expression of its corresponding subtle tanmatra.
  • They explain how the sensory experience (Panchatanmatra) arises from the fundamental elements (PanchaMahabhoota).
  • The panchamahabhoota explain the physical components of the universe and the body, the Panchatanmatras explain the potential for sensory experience.
  1. Ether (Akasha) – sound (shabdha)
  2. Air (Vayu) – touch (sparsha)
  3. Fire (Agni) – vision (Roopa)
  4. Water (Jala)  – taste (Rasa)
  5. Earth (Prithvi )– smell (Gandha)
Relationship of Pancha Mahabhuta with the body

When the qualities of Panchamahabhoota either increase or decrease beyond normalcy, they produce signs and symptoms in the body

Ether – When the qualities of Ether get increased it causes weakness in bones and loss of optimal bone density.

When the qualities of Ether get decreased it causes abnormal extra growth of bones and cartilages.

Air – When the quality of Air gets increased it causes tremors and controlled voluntary movements.

When the quality of Air gets decreased it causes loss of function.

Fire – When the qualities of Fire get increased it causes a burning sensation.

When the qualities of Fire get decreased it causes weak digestion, a decrease in digestive fire.

Water – When the quality of Water gets increased it causes oedema.

When the quality of Water decreases it causes malnutrition (Rasa Kshaya)

Earth – When the qualities of Earth increase it causes stoutness and obesity.

When the qualities of Earth get decreased it causes leanness of the body.

Summarisation
  • PanchaMahabhuta is the five fundamental elements that make up the universe and the human body.
  • Each and every substance in this universe is made up of Panchamahabhutas.
  • They have specific qualities and structurally they make up different organs and organ systems.
  • The imbalance caused by the qualities of these PanchaMahabhuta results in abnormal signs and symptoms.
  • So the balance of the panchamahabhutas results in health and equilibrium while the imbalance causes disease.